~Not running for 3 months made me really appreciate running. I think that's like a universal law or something, isn't it? Like absence makes the heart grow fonder... So even though my running is short and slow right now, when you're finally able to run again after a forced layoff, any running is good running and I'm just happy to be back out there with nothing hurting. At some point maybe I'll start putting pressure on myself to run specific paces or whatever, but as of right now, it's just getting out there and trotting along so the effort is super easy. Running (yogging) feels like a stress reliever not a stress producer at the moment.
~Swimming is good right now because I'm doing enough of it to physically feel quite good in the water. My swim set up is pretty much ideal with a consistent training partner and a free long course pool so close to my house...
~I mentioned before that having Carly to ride bikes with on the weekends has made my riding feel more fun recently, and that is true, but I'm also having fun riding in my garage these days. I never thought I would say this, but I got a Wahoo Kickr and figured out how to get it all set up and well, I genuinely enjoy riding in my garage! I'm using Trainer Road to run my bike sessions and they way it works with the smart trainer is super cool. I entertain myself with Netflix while I'm riding and 2 hours flies by in a flash! I'm not usually a huge TV watcher, but I've heard on Twitter that some of my peers really like Gilmore Girls, so I started that today... Season 1 Episode 1... Yep! I watched the whole Breaking Bad series last year but other than that I really haven't seen much of Netflix at all. So, if you have suggestions of what you like to watch, throw 'em my way! Anyway, the idea of not having to ride my bike in the rain anymore is extremely pleasing to me. I'll still go out for sure when it's dry, but I bet I'll do 1/2 my riding in my garage this next year. So far I have been unsuccessful in getting set up on Zwift, but that looks pretty cool too so I'll see if I can get set up on that at some point as well... Though by the time you pay monthly subscriptions to Trainer Road and Netflix and Zwift, well, #ridinginsideisntfree... #butitseffective.
~I know I was blogging a ton of my training earlier this year, but I haven't felt the need/desire to do that recently... Likely because I now have a coach who pays attention every day and reads my notes and gives me feedback. I didn't even realize how much I missed that until I went for a while and didn't have it. Training can feel like such a lonely endeavor sometimes... it's nice to share it with someone who can be objective with you! So the fact that I have him lowers my desire to write about the specific of my training here. That said, I did recently get myself a Strava account and have my Garmin set up to auto-upload all my training to that social site, so if you're curious and want to follow along, it's all there on Strava. Now that I have a few weeks experience with that social networking site, I feel like I should have joined it years ago! I find it genuinely enjoyable to follow along with what other people are doing, and to share what I'm doing as well. I don't know much about 'segments' in my area but I'm learning a few and I've accidentally earned myself 2x QOMs so that's kind of fun! I think I'll be able to manage myself on Strava and not let it ruin my training by getting overly competitive at the wrong times. I think that's what worried me before about that site- thinking it wouldn't be good for me b/c I'd end up racing all my training, but so far that hasn't been the case at all.
2017 is going to be my 23rd year of training and racing triathlons. Holy shit you guys. 23 years!?! That's more than 1/2 my life! The fact that I still enjoy it as much as I do leads me to believe that I'll probably be doing this sport until I can't walk anymore. Lol. It just sort of feels like who I am at this point. I feel like I've finally struck a really nice balance between wanting to be the best I can be with not putting too much pressure on myself... and being able to turn it on and off at appropriate times. So right now I'm not doing a lot of training that I would categorize as 'hard'. It's all very manageable which probably contributes to the enjoyment factor I feel. Though at some point I'll (hopefully) get back to a place where training feels big and maybe scares me a bit. Until then, I'm just consistently doing what I do, and enjoying it all...
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